Schor moves forward after losing scholarship

JAMIE PESOTINE/Staff Photographer
Delaware Valley quarterback Bryan Schor looks to hand off the ball during the Warriors' Sept. 14, 2012 football game against Hazleton Area at Harman-Geist Memorial Field.

A year ago, Bryan Schor felt like he was on top of the world.

Now, he is trying to put together the pieces of what has become a shattered dream.

Delaware Valley High School's record-setting quarterback, who had verbally committed and accepted a scholarship to play football at the University of Miami (Ohio) during his senior season of 2012, has had that offer rescinded after a change in the coaching staff, which included the hiring of head coach Chuck Martin in December.

Schor sat out his first semester as a grey shirt and was scheduled to attend orientation next week, but said he was told by deputy director of athletics Mark Roundtree that his scholarship would not be honored.

On Friday, Dave Meyer, assistant athletic director, confirmed that the scholarship offer had been rescinded and that the school would have no further comment.

"I'm pretty angry," said Schor, 18, who had made repeated attempts to contact coach Martin without a reply. "When I got the call that I wasn't going to receive the scholarship, I was really mad. If I was going to be told that, I would have rather it been a month ago.

"It would have angered me then, too, but at least I would have had some time to contact some schools."

Because of the lateness in the recruiting season with National Letter of Intent Signing Day scheduled for Feb. 5, Schor is unsure of his next move.

Sitting out a semester and not playing football since November 2012 compounds his dilemma.

"Bryan was playing his best football at the end of his senior year and he was turning away other opportunities because he was committed to Miami of Ohio," an equally angry Delaware Valley coach Keith Olsommer said. "You can almost guarantee, that when this new coach came into his first meeting with the team he talked about commitment, loyalty and honor.

"And then he turned around and cut a kid who was committed to the school and that program for more than a year."

The story rekindles memories of a similar situation that happened to former West Scranton running back Shawn Bodtmann, who had his scholarship offer to Nebraska rescinded a week before the date to sign in 2009.

Bodtmann eventually landed at the University of Maine where he played linebacker.

A four-year starter, Schor rewrote the Delaware Valley record book on his way to landing on the recruiting radar.

Early in his senior season, he verbally committed to Miami (Ohio) and then-coach Don Treadwell. Schor went on to complete 147 of 226 passes for 2,585 yards and 27 touchdowns against only six interceptions to earn a spot on the Pennsylvania Sports Writers Class AAAA all-state team.

Schor posted the second-most career passing yards in Lackawanna Football Conference history (6,518), trailing only Lakeland's Evan Kraky (7,447). Schor also threw 56 touchdowns and led Delaware Valley to 29 victories.

But his scholarship offer included him starting in January 2014, instead of the fall of 2013.

Then, both Treadwell and offensive coordinator John Klacik were fired just five weeks into the 2013 season, while Schor sat out with the understanding he would be enrolling at the school in January.

That began to raise concern.

After Martin was hired, Schor said that he reached out to him. The new coach explained that he ran a different style offense, one that required the quarterback to be a dual run-pass threat, and that Schor, who is a prototypical drop-back passer at 6-foot-2, 215 pounds, didn't fit in the system.

However, Martin indicated that there would be a scholarship if he wanted it, Schor said.

That changed.

"I got the sense that something was happening," Schor said. "I had called maybe 40 or 50 times after that conversation in December and nobody would return my calls. I wasn't thinking that their phones were off the hook.

"Still, it did catch me in the dark."

And without many options.

Schools that may have been interested in Schor have reached their scholarship limits for this recruiting class.

Plus, he hasn't played.

"It's tough because everybody has their guys for their class," Schor said. "It's really tough for me now. I spent a year without football. It seems like it's been forever.

"That is one thing that I am very worried about."

All hope is not lost.

Lackawanna College could be an option and the University of Albany has also shown renewed interest in Schor.

But time is short.

"If I have learned one thing that I can give as advice, it's that if you are not a top 100 or 150 recruit, don't commit early," Schor said. "I did and I stayed committed. There is nothing I can really do about losing that scholarship. I have to keep pushing forward and I will."

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